Veronica americana, variously called American brooklime[2] or American speedwell,[2][3] is a plant native to temperate and arctic Asia and North America[2] where it grows in streams and bottomlands.
| Veronica americana | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Veronica |
| Species: | V. americana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Veronica americana | |
It is a herbaceous perennial with glabrous stems 10–100 cm long that bear terminal or axillary racemes or spikes of soft violet flowers. The leaves are 1.5–8 cm long and 3 to 20 times as long as wide, short-petiolate, glabrous, serrate to almost entire.[4]
The plant can be confused with Scutellaria (skullcap) and other members of the mint family. Members of the mint family have square sided stems, and Veronica species have rounded stems.[5]
Uses
editAmerican speedwell is used both as food and as a medicinal plant.[citation needed] It is rich in nutrients and is reported to have a flavor similar to that of watercress.[6] As long as the water source is not contaminated, the entire plant (sans roots) can be eaten raw.[7]
References
edit- ^ Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Veronica americana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T64326255A67731217. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ a b c "Veronica americana". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Veronica americana Schwein. ex Benth". PLANTS Profile. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Veronica americana". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
- ^ Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 96.
- ^ Nyerges, Christopher (2017). Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Guilford, CT: Falcon Guides. ISBN 978-1-4930-2534-3. OCLC 965922681.
Further reading
edit
- Moreno-Escobar, Jorge; Alvarez, Laura; Rodriguez-Lopez, Veronica; Marquina Bahena, Silvia (2013). "Cytotoxic glucosydic iridoids from Veronica americana". Phytochemistry Letters. 6 (4): 610–613. Bibcode:2013PChL....6..610M. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2013.07.017.
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